Yes, it’s the weekend again, and time to discuss the new movies added to the big three streaming sites, Hulu, Netflix and Amazon. So let’s get right to it!
HULU
Hulu has one new original series that might appeal to you for Halloween, especially, Light as a Feather. About some teenage girls, who start dying off after a seemingly innocent game of Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board, this 10 episodes series stars Liana Liberato, Haley Ramm, Ajiona Alexus and Peyton List. Although it is yet another movie about a slumber party gone wrong, it is said to have some unexpected scares. That said, this is definitely a teen movie, with only a actors over 30. It gets a 6.5/10 on IMDb.If you want real horror, Hulu has The Strain, which I’ve already recommended previously. Hulu has also added Flyboys, the 2006 film about World War I pilots. Based, loosely, on the experiences of the Lafayette Escadrille, a volunteer squadron, Flyboys stars James Franco, Martin Henderson, Jean Reno, Jennifer Decker, Abdul Salis and Tyler Labine. This isn’t the greatest movie- it gets a 6.5/10 on IMDb, but a 34% on Rotten Tomatoes– so I would only watch if you’re really in the mood for some patriotic WWI action. Also new on Hulu is Gods and Monsters, the classic 1998 movie starring Ian McKellan. This movie is about gay film maker James Whale, the director of The Bride of Frankenstein(for one), depressed and ill in the ‘50′s, meeting a straight man(Brandon Fraser) and their ensuing friendship. Gods and Monsters also stars Lynn Redgrave, Lolita Davidovich and David Dukes, an amazing cast, and was directed by Bill Condon. It won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and both Ian McKellan and Lynn Redgrave won nominations for their acting. It gets a stunning 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 7.5/10 on IMDb. And, finally, because I know you need horror in October, Hulu has Pyewacket, a 2018 movie. This is a Canadian film about a fifteen year-old girl, who, after losing her father, turns to witchcraft. This doesn’t turnout well, of course, but Pyewacket is not your average horror movie, mixing teenage pathos with scary spirits. It stars Nicole Muñoz, Laurie Holden(The Walking Dead), Chloe Rose and Victoria Sanchez Mandryk. It gets an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 5.7/10 on IMDb.
NETFLIX
Netflix has some big additions this week, most notable of which is The Haunting Of Hill House. This is a Netflix Original series, not a movie, still based on the Shirley Jackson classic novel of the same name. It features the Crain family, which moves into an old estate, Hill House, and the events there over twenty years. It stars Michiel Huisman, Carla Gugino, Timothy Hutton, Henry Thomas and Elizabeth Reaser, to name a few of the many stars of the series, and is directed by Mike Flanagan. The trailer was way too horrifying for me, though I loves Shirley Jackson‘s original, there is much new material added. It gets a 100%(!) on Rotten Tomatoes and a 9.1/10 on IMDb. Watch if you dare. Netflix also has The Kindergarten Teacher, starring the always interesting Maggie Gyllenhaal. This movie is about a teacher who becomes obsessed with a five year-old child she thinks is a prodigy. It also stars Parker Sevak, Gael Garcia Bernal, Anna Baryshnikov, Anna Salazar and Michael Chernus and it’s directed by Sara Colangelo(Little Accidents).The Guardian gave this movie an incredible 5/5 stars and it gets an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. Netflix also has Errementari: the Blacksmith and the Devil, based on a basque folktale. Another Netflix original movie, this one features a blacksmith, who has captured the Devil, only to have a little girl unwittingly release him. It stars Kandido Uranga, Uma Bracaglia,Eneko Sagardoy and Ramon Agirre. It’s a fantastical tale, with great makeup and visuals, and gets a 6.3/10 on IMDb. Good for all ages. Also, on a more somber note, Netflix has added 22 July, about the right-wing extremist shootings in 2011, in Norway, and it’s survivors. Written and directed by Paul Greengrass, this movie stars Anders Danielson Lie,Jon Øigarden,Thorbjørn Harr and Ulrikke Hansen Døvigen. It gets a 6.7/10 on IMDb, and an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s a grueling, upsetting movie, though, and rated R for good reason. And, finally, Netflix has added Apostle, a 2018 movie written and directed by Gareth Evans(The Raid). It stars Dan Stevens(Matthew Crawley on Downton Abbey) as a drifter in 1905, on a mission to save his sister from a brutal and sinister cult. It also stars Lucy Boynton, Michael Sheen, Kristine Froseth and Mark Lewis Jones. It’s got a wonderful cast, but beware, this movie is super violent and not for anyone but the most immovable viewer.
AMAZON
Amazon‘s most interesting addition this week has to be The Romanoffs, the new series from Madmen creator Matthew Weiner. Telling the stories of different people, all of whom claim to be Romanoff descendants(Russian royal family), this series has an stellar cast, with Diane Lane, Amanda Peet, Isabelle Huppert, Aaron Eckhart, Marthe Keller, Paul Reiser and Mary Kay Place. And it gets a 7.3/10 on IMDb. I’m watching. Amazon has also added A Prayer Before Dawn, a 2017 British movie. Based on the true story of a boxer thrown into a Thai prison, this movie stars Joel Cole, Nicholas Shake and Vithaya Pansringarm, in story of harrowing tale of addiction, prison and redemption. It had it’s world premiere in Cannes and gets a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7/10 on IMDb. Amazon has also added Haunted, for your Halloween Horror fix. It’s a Norwegian movie, about a woman who returns to her family estate after her father’ death, only to find restless spirits there. It stars Synnøve Macody Lund, Pål Espen Kilstad, Eduardo Garcia-Drageseth, and the trailer was way to horrifying for me, but it’s a beautifully filmed movie and gets a 4.8/10 on IMDb. And, finally, if you need a little comedy after all that terror (and I know I do), Amazon has Platinum Blonde, the 1931 classic starring Jean Harlow. Directed by Frank Capra, this movie also stars Loretta Young, Robert Williams, Reginald Owen and Louise Closser Hale, in the pre-Hays code story of a chorus girl and her breach of promise suit against a playboy. And it gets a 100%(!) on Rotten Tomatoes and a 6.9/10 on IMDb.
So enjoy a carefree weekend, binging on classics, new and old, on Hulu, Netflix and Amazon!
Grownups Guide to Streaming 